It’s probably happened to you before: You hear your iPhone’s muffled ringing, but whether it’s buried deep in a coat pocket or purse, you won’t find it in time to answer the call. El Capitan offers a simple fix for this daily aggravation: answer the call on your Mac ①. Need to make a call? You can do that from your Mac, too.
① El Capitan fine-tunes phone features introduced in Yosemite that let you make and receive calls on the Mac via your iPhone.
Get Set Up
To use El Capitan’s phone features, you must also have an iPhone running iOS 8.1 or newer.
Take these steps:
Double-check that your Mac and iPhone are signed in to FaceTime with the same Apple ID.
On your Mac, go to FaceTime > Preferences and on your iPhone, tap Settings > FaceTime.
Make sure the Mac and iPhone are on the same Wi-Fi network.
On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Network, click Wi-Fi, and check the network name. On your phone, tap Settings > Wi-Fi to see the name of the network.
On your iPhone, tap Settings > FaceTime and check that the FaceTime switch is on. This lets you make and receive calls on devices (your Mac or iPad) that are signed in to your iCloud account and on the same Wi-Fi network.
On your Mac, go to FaceTime > Preferences and select Calls from iPhone ②. (If this checkbox doesn’t initially appear, try restarting your Mac).
② Make sure the Calls From iPhone box is checked in your Mac’s FaceTime preferences.
Receive a Call on Your Mac
When a call comes in for your iPhone, your Mac will chime. A notification shows the caller’s name (if he or she is listed in Contacts) or number ③.
③ An incoming call appears as a small notification in the corner of your screen. Click Accept to start talking.
You can:
Take the call: Click Accept. When you’re connected, the notification becomes a small window with phone controls ④. Click Video to start a FaceTime session. Click Mute to mute audio during the call—for instance, to discreetly ask someone else in the room a question. Click End to hang up.
④ When you answer a call, the notification becomes a small window with phone controls.
Decline the call: Either click Decline or click the arrow next to Decline to choose an option, including Reply with Message, Remind Me in 5 Minutes, and so on ⑤.
⑤ Click the arrow next to Decline to see options for dealing with calls you don’t answer.
Ignore the call: If you miss a call, a notification lingers on your screen to let you know when you return.
Make a Call from Your Mac
To “dial” a number:
In an app: Click a phone number in an app like Contacts, Calendar, or Safari. You can also select a number on a Web page or in an email message, click the triangle that appears to its right, and then choose “Call phone number Using iPhone.”
From a recent call: Open FaceTime, click the Audio button and click the phone button by the number ⑥. Or, click and hold FaceTime’s Dock icon to see a list of recent calls. Choose one to call back.
⑥ FaceTime keeps track of your recent calls. (Missed calls appear in red.)
Enter a number: Open FaceTime and type the number directly into the field under the Video and Audio buttons.
FaceTime places your call. There’s no video involved—unless your recipient is running FaceTime as well, and you initiate it.
Navigate Automated Phone Systems
If you hear the fateful words “Press 2 for…” during a call, you don’t need to scramble madly for your iPhone. You can use your Mac’s keyboard to navigate automated phone systems by pressing the number.
Hold All Your Calls
Big meeting, tight deadline—sometimes you don’t want to be disturbed: Option-click the Notification Center icon in the menu bar to turn off all notifications, including incoming calls. (Your iPhone will still ring, just not your Mac.)
If you finish up, Option-click the icon again. Or, click it to reveal Notification Center and turn off the Do Not Disturb switch ⑦.
⑦ Option-click the Notification Center menu bar icon to send calls directly to voicemail. If you feel sociable again, Option-click the menu bar icon, or open Notification Center and toggle the Do Not Disturb switch (circled) to Off.
Turn Phone Features Off
Whether you’ve decided that you don’t like your Mac ringing at all or you just want to turn off phone calls for a bit, but not other notifications, you can turn off phone calls on your Mac.
Open FaceTime and go to FaceTime > Preferences. Click Settings and deselect the Calls from iPhone checkbox.
button by the number ⑥. Or, click and hold FaceTime’s Dock icon to see a list of recent calls. Choose one to call back.
icon in the menu bar to turn off all notifications, including incoming calls. (Your iPhone will still ring, just not your Mac.)